Saturday, August 4, 2012

Having Coffee with Author T. W. Fendley

Finally, life can start to (maybe) get back to some semblance of normalize. With that, so can this blog site. I had to apologize to the author who I had scheduled in July, but between my bill pay job and taking care of an elderly parent, my life just erupted out of control. I hope to have them scheduled again soon.

Meanwhile, this month I am combing my normal first of the month and the the first Saturday of the month post into one. I would welcome you to grab your coffee (or drink of choice), sit back and welcome Science-Fiction author TW Fendley as we discuss writing and offer you the chance to win a free signed copy of her book Zero Time.

What is Zero Time about?

"As Zero Time nears, only Keihla Benton can save two worlds
from thepowers of Darkness. But first she must unlock the secrets of Machu Picchu
and her own past."

David Alan Lucas: When you are starting to work on a new
novel, what do you find brings the story into focus for you? A Character? A
setting? Something else?

T. W. Fendley: Working
with my characters' goals and motivation bring the story into focus for me. I
keep asking myself, "What would make him/her do that?" and "What
does he/she want?" That drives the plot.

DL: What attracted you to Science Fiction?

TW: I've always had an
active imagination. I think that's just how my mind works--seeing possibilities
and "what if" are part of my personality. Sci-fi and fantasy allow me
to play with other people who think like I do. I had the good fortune to read
Jules Verne and C.S. Lewis as a kid. When I was about fifteen, Michael Crichton's
Andromeda Strain came out. I picked
up a copy at the library and got completely hooked on sci fi.

DL: What key things make your stories work?

TW: For me, it's all
about making connections between things that are seemingly unrelated. That's
why you'll find elements of science and history in my stories alongside
metaphysical concepts and mythology. It's this juxtaposition where freshness
(originality) occurs, kind of like putting complementary colors next to each
other in a painting--blue with orange "pops."

DL: What themes in your fiction writing seem to drive you
the most?

TW: I'm crazy about
cycles. I love sunspot cycles, history cycles, biological cycles. You name it,
if it's a cycle, I love it. I also enjoy stepping outside the normal way of
looking at the world, beyond our five senses. Sometimes this involves traditional
science, and other times it's more metaphysical or even psychological. This
includes remote viewing (a type of precognition), which I've been practicing
for a few years now (I host a blog at www.ARV4fun.com).
And I'm a huge fan of ancient American cultures--Inca, Maya, Aztec, etc.

DL: Do you work on multiple novels at once? If so, how
many?

TW: I write one novel
at a time, though I have edited a novel while writing another. This summer, I actively
worked on three short stories as part of the Clarion Write-a-Thon. They are all
at various stages of completion, but generally I try to finish the first draft
of one story before starting the next. As each story goes to my critique group
for review, I start the next one. Some of these stories would really like to be
novels (and one started out as part of a novel), but so far, I'm resisting.

DL: How easy was it to take the leap of faith to become a
serious writer and chase this career? What did you find that you had to do to
take the step?

TW: Hmmm…I guess it
all depends what you mean by serious. I made the first major commitment of
money and time to writing fiction in 1997, when I attended the six-week Clarion
Science Fiction and Fantasy Workshop. I wiped out several years of saved vacation
time (after my boss gave me permission to be off work for that long) and spent an
inheritance from my grandparents. It took another ten years before I was able
to write full-time and finish the novel that started as a short story idea at
Clarion.

But before any of that happened, I
had to take the chance on rejection and submit a story as my application to
Clarion. That wasn't as easy as it may sound. I figured getting an acceptance
letter was a benchmark in itself.

DL: In years past, new writers would battle their way in
the pulp magazines to build their readerships and their careers. Do you think
that is still the case in the explosion of electronic readers, blogs, e-zines,
and other like media? Who do you see as the current gatekeeper of the good
writers and those who are still developing?

TW: It's always been
about reaching readers, who are the ultimate gatekeepers. The marketplace has
never been as open for writers as it is now. That's both a blessing and a
curse. More writers can get published than when you had to go through pulp
magazines, but now readers are inundated by choices. When it comes to
gatekeepers, the traditional ones are still in place--agents, publishers,
editors, bookstores. A new paradigm of self-gatekeeping is developing along
with self-publishing. This puts the burden and expense of producing a quality
product and marketing it solely on the writer.

DL: When you plot your novels, from whose point of view do
you plot from? The protagonist’s? The antagonist’s? The narrator’s? Some one
else?

TW: Since I'm a
big-time pantster, this question somewhat baffles me. Although I keep trying to
plot in advance (I guess that would be the narrator), I find my stories are
generally driven from the protagonist's perspective.

DL: Arthur C. Clarke
once wrote that when science catches up with the science fiction writer, the
science fiction writer needs to make a leap forward.How do you stay ahead of the game?

TW: Imagination. Which
brings to mind one of my favorite quotes from Albert Einstein: “Imagination is
more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and
understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever
will be to know and understand.”

DL: What novels, books, articles, magazines or other media
most useful when you are researching your novels?

TW: I allow the
research to lead me. If I find a good source, often it will refer to other
information. I check that out, too. With my interest in Peru and Mesoamerica,
I've amassed dozens of books on everything from tourist travel guides to folktales
to guidebooks of flora and fauna in ancient times. Of course, the internet is
essential these days. Whenever possible, I travel. The personal experience
"on location" gives me perspectives and accuracy I wouldn't otherwise
have.

DL: What is your writing schedule like?

TW: I'd like to say I
am very disciplined with my writing, but that wouldn't be true. In fact, I
didn't write much at all in the first six month after my debut book's release.
Marketing takes a lot of time! I write an hour or two each day I'm home,
although that includes doing research and editing. I also spend several hours
each day doing a variety of things to further my writing endeavors -- entering
contests, seeking agents or publishers for my books and stories, etc. I regularly
contribute to two writing blogs (The Writers' Lens and Pots & Pens) and
tweet about those. I also blog on my author's website, including posts as a
member of the Blog Ring of Power that features interviews with other
speculative fiction authors.

DL: If you could have coffee (or drink of your choice) with
four other authors from any time period, who would you choose and why?

TW: There are so many
authors whose work I love, how could I possibly limit it to four? Let's make my
drink a skinny decaf mocha.

Isaac Asimov -- His Foundation
series has CYCLES! and "Nightfall" is my all-time favorite short
story. Did I mention how much I love his robot stories?

Neal Stephenson, Kim Stanley Robinson, Dan Simmons and
Diana Gabaldon -- I want to become their clone
(I know--impossible, even for a clone, to be four people.) They're all great
storytellers who weave history and science with memorable characters and crazy
worldbuilding.

Tim Powers -- I was in
awe of him at Clarion (he was the lead instructor), and I still am, but I'd
love to have the chance to just sit and chat. He's an imaginative writer who
makes complex plots fun to read, an artist and nice guy.

Jim Butcher, Ursula LeGuin and Anne McCaffrey -- They take fantasy to the next level in their unique ways.
I'd love to get ideas on how to do that

DL: How could my readers learn more about you?

TW: Probably the best
place is my website, www.twfendley.com.
I have links to my other blogs and to Twitter (@twfendley), Facebook,
Goodreads, Library Thing, etc. I'm happy to report that ZERO TIME is available
at the St. Louis County Library (ebook only), as well as from Amazon, Barnes
& Noble, and various indie bookstores (ebook and paperback).

Thank you T. W. Fendley!

How do you win a free copy of this book? To enter
the contest, simply leave a comment or question on the Writers' Lens blog
between now (August 4th, 2012) and midnight August 31, 2012. Please include
your email so we can reach you if you win. The more comments you leave, the
greater your chance of winning the contest. If you refer others to The
Writer's Lens who mention your name in their comments, I'll enter your name
again in our random number generator along with theirs, also increasing your
chances at winning! The winner will be chosen after midnight on Friday, August
31 and the announcement made on Saturday, September 1. Good luck and comment
often.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com.
You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens
@TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in
our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.

Hi, Lynn -- I'd love to hear what you think of Ursula (to see if her work still resonates with new readers). Thanks for your comments on the pix--must credit the photographer, Kyle Weber, a talented young professional in Collinsville.